“For nearly 15 years, the two-story building at 2449 N. Lincoln Ave. served as the epicenter of an underground musical, social and cultural movement that spread across the globe. Now, nearly three decades after Wax Trax! Records moved out, the daughter of one of the shop’s co-founders is leading a charge to designate the storefront an official historic Chicago landmark.

“When Wax Trax! opened its doors in 1978 in a building that once housed a funeral parlor, there was nothing like it in the city — or country. A record label of the same name, started by Jim Nash and Flesher in 1980, remains synonymous with industrial music by the likes of Front 242 and KMFDM. The store carried a vast range of genres — dance, soul, R&B, heavy metal, electronic, rockabilly, hardcore, glam, avant-garde and more — and thousands of titles that couldn’t be found anywhere else. Offbeat, independent, bootleg and import vinyl LPs filled the bins. Huge posters, custom displays, television sets playing videos and a baby-blue neon sign contributed to the creative atmosphere and palpable energy.

“So did the people working behind the counter. Offering expert guidance and engaging conversation, Jim Nash, Flesher and their staff, largely comprised of deejays and musicians, tipped off customers to cutting-edge artists and must-hear albums that existed on the fringe. Wax Trax! Records was a ‘destination’ long before the term evolved into a marketing concept. The influential store — neighbor to the landmarked Biograph Theater — also functioned as more than a retail shop. For many customers, particularly those who felt like outsiders at home or outcasts at school, it stood as both a social nexus and safe space.

“Metro and Smartbar owner Joe Shanahan’s connection to the shop runs just as deep. Having heard that Jim Nash and Flesher were moving to Chicago from Denver, where the original Wax Trax! store was located, the young music devotee showed up at 2449 N. Lincoln Ave. to help them prepare to open in 1978. Shanahan and a roommate pitched in by painting walls and record bins. So began a relationship that altered Shanahan’s life — and, by extension, those of countless concertgoers.

“‘Without Wax Trax!, there’s no Metro, no Smartbar,’ says Shanahan. ‘Jim and Dannie single-handedly changed my perception. They came to town with a record store idea that became this community clubhouse. They were forging an independent spirit really early on. And they had the best taste in music.’

“Shanahan fondly recalls making Saturday morning pilgrimages to the store, where Jim Nash and Flesher would tell him what records he needed, and why. Handing over to Wax Trax! Records a healthy portion of the tip money he earned at his bartending job, Shanahan built the record collection he used to start Smartbar. Once he opened Metro and Smartbar, Shanahan invited the store’s clerks to spin records and stopped by the Lincoln Avenue shop to see if he had what he deems the Wax Trax! ‘seal of quality approval’ for his shows: a record and/or poster of the concert headliner displayed in the window.” (Gendron, Chicago Tribune, 2/14/22)

“The Commission on Chicago Landmarks has approved a preliminary landmark recommendation for Wax Trax! Located at 2449 N. Lincoln, life and business partners Jim Nash and Dannie Flesher opened the WAX TRAX! records store in 1978. Their shared passion for music inspired the retail venture and their personal tastes, creative generosity, and willingness to take risks shaped the store into an international source of eclectic and ground-breaking music.

“Meeting Criterion 1 for its value as an example of city, state, or national heritage, WAX TRAX! invigorated Chicago’s music scene. With bootlegs, imports, and hard-to-find records, cassettes, CDs, and videos, WAX TRAX! became an international retail destination. WAX TRAX! helped to shape the world’s perceptions of Chicago music. As the home base of the WAX TRAX! record label, the store at 2449 North Lincoln helped to launch industrial-dance music, what became to be known as industrial music, in the United States.

“WAX TRAX! opened at a time when society’s pendulum was swinging away from earlier decades’ idealism and freedom-focused liberation toward the New Right and nostalgic conservatism of the Reagan years. The store provided a rare refuge to outsiders and outcasts as a mecca and a meeting place for those most comfortable outside the mainstream. The arrival of WAX TRAX! in Chicago was monumental in terms of shaping Chicago’s music scene. WAX TRAX! was a favorite of director John Hughes in whose film’s music played a key role.

“WAX TRAX! opened at a time when society’s pendulum was swinging away from earlier decades’ idealism and freedom-focused liberation toward the New Right and nostalgic conservatism of the Reagan years. The store provided a rare refuge to outsiders and outcasts as a mecca and a meeting place for those most comfortable outside the mainstream. The arrival of WAX TRAX! in Chicago was monumental in terms of shaping Chicago’s music scene. WAX TRAX! was a favorite of director John Hughes in whose film’s music played a key role.” (Kugler, Urbanize Chicago, 8/20/24)

Read the full story at Chicago Tribune and Urbanize Chicago

• Wax Trax building gets preliminary landmark designation; The former records store is located at 2449 N. Lincoln, Lukas Kugler, Urbanize Chicago, 8/20/24
• Petition seeks to make former Wax Trax! Records store a Chicago landmark, Bob Gendron, Chicago Tribune, 2/14/22
• Petition to Landmark WAX TRAX! – 2449 Lincoln Avenue